Clarity
by Galadriadhar
Summary: Loudred had found a mysterious piece of paper. With a little help from a Dimensional Scream, Shades and Callie used the paper to make their way to the treacherous Caldera Falls...


_"Callie… I have to go."_

 _"What?! Why?"_

 _"…The future changed. So I… change."_

 _"No! Please… don't go, Shades."_

 _"I'm sorry… I can't stop it. But I'm glad… I got to be your friend."_

 _"No! No! It's not fair!"_

 _"Callie… Callie, I knew this would happen. Go back to Treasure Town. Don't let anyone forget what we did."_

 _"Shades… I don't want to say good-bye…"_

 _"If I could see you, I would wipe away your tears. But you'll have to do that, Callie. I… liked traveling with you."_

 _"NOOOO!"_

Shades woke up.

* * *

Shades was sitting against a wall of Sharpedo Bluff when Callie woke up. She stretched, yawned, and hiccupped. "Good morning, Shades!"

The Riolu pushed his dark glasses up his muzzle. "Good morning, Callie. Sleep well? And in case you ask, I don't know if your feathers are in place today."

"Yep! And darn… Though…" Callie paused and glanced at Shades' face. "Were you crying during the night?"

Shades stiffened imperceptibly. "Why would I do that? That's not me."

Callie shrugged. "Maybe it was me, then. Ah well!" She hurried over to a cleft in the rock and pulled out a package. "Let's have breakfast and then go to the Guild. I promised Loudred that we would help him with something."

Making his way carefully over to Callie, Shades kicked a rock out into the sea before sitting down. "Ow." He reached out and took a berry from the package. "What are we doing to help Loudred? Sentry duty?"

Callie took a bite from one of the berries and, while chewing, explained. "Loudred wants to see if we can figure out how to make it to a certain dungeon. He found a piece of paper the other day that no one can decipher. He thinks it leads to a mysterious dungeon called 'Caldera Falls.'" She swallowed before continuing. "That's the only legible script on the paper."

Popping the last of his berry into his mouth, Shades stood up. "Sounds good to me. Let's go."

"Will you be okay?" Callie asked, standing up as well. "I mean, that rock you kicked was pretty big."

"Should be. My aura works a lot better outside." Shades picked his way to the stairs, then stepped up them and emerged into the sunlight. "Remind me to sweep those stairs when we get back," Shades muttered, feeling his left footpaw.

Callie emerged next to him. "I'll do it, Shades. Now, let's go!" She started off down the path to Treasure Town, and Shades followed.

 _I used to be the one to lead…_ Shades thought, mouth quirking into a smirk. _I don't mind, though. Being blind isn't a piece of cake. Mmm, cake…_

It wasn't long before the two entered Treasure Town. Kangaskhan waved to them (Shades only knew this because he saw the outline of Kangaskhan move in a waving motion), the Kecleon brothers shouted greetings, and Electivire gave them high-fives. The atmosphere was, as usual, contented. It was one of Shades' favorite places. Certainly, it was better than the future. That had just seemed helpless and… gray.

"Welcome, Callie and Shades. How may I help you today?" Duskull asked. Shades actually knew what Duskull looked like, since aura showed every detail of ghosts; aura wasn't so helpful with others, though. "Would you like to deposit or withdraw?"

"Deposit, please!" Callie replied. "Here you go, Duskull. It should be 3,432 in total."

Duskull counted the money and nodded. "3,432 in total, yes." He tucked the money underneath the counter. "That makes the total in your account 25,554. Can I do anything else for you two today?"

Callie shook her head. "Nope, that's it. Thanks, Duskull!"

"You're welcome, Callie," Duskull said, chuckling quietly. "Have a great day. You as well, Shades."

Shades waved and said good-bye, then walked off with Callie toward the Guild. Climbing the steps was hard for a Pokemon who was unused to it, but Shades had climbed them so many times that he could have done it with his eyes closed… or his aura off. He paused in front of the stairs and looked up. There was the sun, a bright orange aura, and a little bite was being taken out of it… that would be a cloud, probably.

As he watched the sun's aura, he slowly became aware that Callie was facing him. "Shades?"

The Riolu smirked a little smirk, one that he had become fond of. "Just looking at the sun, Callie. Is there a cloud up in front of the sun?"

Shades saw Callie's head tilt… upward? Yes, that was it. Upward. Then she looked back down at him. "Yep! And there are a bunch of other clouds coming, too. We better get to the Guild before it starts pouring. Come on!" She started hurrying up the stairs, and Shades followed her. Luckily, there were no stray rocks that could nick Shades' footpaws.

"Hey! It's Callie and Shades!" Callie called down the grate in the ground. "Let us in, Diglett!"

"It's about TIME you SHOWED UP! I've been waiting for HOURS AND hours!" Loudred's voice echoed up from the grate. "I'll open the gate!" There was a creak as the gate to the Guild rose to let the two in. Callie walked into the Guild, Shades right behind her. The gate closed once Shades entered, and as Callie scrambled down the ladder, Shades felt around for the ladder rungs.

Down on the bottom floor, Callie watched as Shades slowly descended. Shades knew she was watching, since she always did. Sometimes, though, he wished she wouldn't. It was hard enough climbing down a ladder that he couldn't see very well; Shades didn't want her gasping if he accidentally missed a foothold. One time that she'd done that, he had freaked out and lost his grip on the ladder.

A few moments later, Callie let out a breath when Shades set paw on the floor. "I was so worried that you were going to fall again!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arm. He figured she probably had relief shining in her eyes, but he couldn't see it. In fact, he couldn't see her face.

Callie let go of his arm and turned to walk toward Loudred, but Shades put a paw on her shoulder. "Callie?"

He wasn't expecting her to jump, but she did. Once she started breathing normally, Callie turned to look at him. "What's up?"

"I…" Shades shook his head. "Sorry for scaring you, Callie. I didn't mean to. Both now and on the ladder."

"That's why you stopped me? No problem, Shades! I'm just glad you're okay!" Callie nudged Shades and then hurried over to where Loudred stood, tapping his foot on the ground. Shades followed at a slower pace, mentally berating himself.

 _'Sorry for scaring you'? Wow, great going. You were just about to tell Callie how you really feel, and you get cold paws. …I'll try later. Don't get all upset at yourself, Shades. It's hard enough to be blind_ and _an explorer._

Callie was standing next to Loudred, looking at something he was holding. "I can definitely see 'Caldera Falls,' but I have no idea what this other stuff says." She glanced up as Shades stopped next to her. "What do you think, Shades?"

Shades had to stop himself from chuckling. "Well, I don't know. I can't read it, either."

Loudred snorted. "Well, NOW we're up a CREEK with no boat. THANKS A lot, guys."

Shades couldn't stop himself from smirking. "I can't see anything, Loudred."

"OH… Sorry about THAT, Shades. I FORGOT." Loudred sounded so forlorn that Shades simply had to laugh. Loudred grumbled as he realized Shades had been teasing him. "GREAT, Shades. THANKS! So, do you know anything about THIS paper?"

"Can I have the paper, please?" Shades asked, holding out a paw. Loudred put the paper in his paw, and Shades took it in both paws.

And then he fell to his knees.

"Shades!"

"Are YOU okay?"

Callie's aura spun until she was standing on the ceiling. Loudred's aura stayed on the ground, but turned a bright white.

"Oh…"

"WHAT?"

The auras began to fuzz, then blurred until they were no longer there. Instead, Shades could _see a small cave in the side of a mountain. The mountain was tall, almost taller than Temporal Tower. A Pokemon sat in the cave, writing on a piece of paper._

"This always happens when Shades has a Dimensional Scream, Loudred."

"Oh, I TOTALLY forgot that he had those."

 _The Pokemon looked up, then went back to writing. The scene zoomed in, and the Pokemon wrote 'Caldera Falls' on the paper. The Pokemon leaned back and looked at the paper. "I hope someone can come and find my legacy, someday. Is the key…" The Pokemon held up the paper to the sun. Light landed on the Pokemon's grizzled face, illuminating the colorful feathers_ _of red, blue, and yellow. Sin_ ce when did his Dimensional Screams happen in color? _"_ _The key works._ _This is the last legacy of Archeops. The way to Caldera Falls." The paper began to change, and the writing that was visible was joined by more writing,_ _forming the rest of the letters. Apparently, the visible writing was actually normal letters, but only part of them._

"The episodes don't usually last this long, though…"

"So when do we get CONCERNED?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

 _Archeops rolled up the paper and popped it into a glass jar. He secured the jar with a cork, sealed it with some Combee wax, then tossed it out of the cave. The jar bounced down the mountain and finally splashed into the ocean. Archeops watched until it disappeared over the horizon. Black. Archeops sat down in his cave. Black. He rested his head. Black, and the_ auras came back. Callie was on the floor again, and Loudred was again purple.

"Ugh… That was fun…" Shades groaned. He was still a little dizzy, but it was clearing up quickly. "Here's the paper. Hold it up to the light."

Loudred snatched the paper and held it up. "HEY, I can READ it now! Let's SEE… 'To the north of Jigglypuff Hollow is a mountain capped in snow and lava. On the east face, a cave sits. The honest seeker will find a gift in this cave of Caldera Falls.' Where in THE WORLD is Jigglypuff Hollow?"

"It's the northernmost dungeon I know of," Callie replied. "It's even further north than Sky Stairway is. The Guildmaster was raised in Jigglypuff Hollow, I think."

Shades got to his footpaws and swayed a little. "Woo, that was crazy. Jigglypuff Hollow, eh?"

"That's what the paper SAYS!" Loudred confirmed. "Is there something BEYOND it?"

Shades shrugged. "There's only one way to find out, I imagine. Well, two ways, but you get the idea."

Callie mumbled something, then poked Shades in the side. "I can only count one way to find out. What am I missing?"

Loudred snorted, shoving the paper into Shades' paws. "Well, HAVE fun. I have BETTER things to do than CHASE this." He stomped off, but stopped before getting too far. "Don't get me WRONG. I want to go, but YOU TWO would be better for THIS. Let me KNOW what you find?"

"Sure thing, Loudred," Shades said. "Take care of everyone."

"WILL do!"

Callie, frustrated at Shades' lack of response, poked him in the side again. "What am I missing, Shades?"

"Well, we could go to Sky Stairway and find Jigglypuff Hollow, then go north of the Hollow. We should see Caldera Falls then. Or…" Shades stretched the word out to snarkily-long lengths. "We could ask Lapras." He giggled after saying it, and Callie poked him.

"You're a pickle sometimes, Shades!" Callie complained. "That was _not_ obvious!"

"I never said it was!"

"Oh, yeah? You thought it!"

Shades opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it. "All right. You win. I was teasing you with all that obvious-ness."

Callie nodded. "Good. Now that you've admitted it, let's go."

* * *

"Well, this is a surprise." Lapras sounded anything but surprised, but then again he never showed overwhelming amounts of emotion.

"How are you, Lapras?" Shades asked. Lapras, to him, had a blue-gray aura. Sometimes he wondered about that. What determined the color of an aura? How did he even know what colors things were?

"I'm better than I was during the collapse of Temporal Tower," Lapras said dryly. "What do you two need?"

Callie held out the paper to Lapras. "We wanted to know if there really is a place called Caldera Falls. This paper talks about it."

Lapras, when he could finally talk again, couldn't keep his voice level. "Caldera Falls? …That is a name I have not heard in a long time. It has been a very long time indeed…"

"So it exists?" Shades questioned.

"Yes," Lapras replied. "Do you want to go there?"

"Yeah!" Callie exclaimed. "Can you take us there?"

Lapras looked away, out over the sea. He was silent, and Callie fidgeted. Lapras was silent for so long that Shades wondered if he had fallen asleep. Shades' fears were put to rest, though, when Lapras looked back at the two. "Are you honest?"

The question took both Callie and Shades by surprise. Callie was quick to answer with a yes. Shades took a little longer. He thought about everything. He thought about how he couldn't tell Callie certain things. But… that didn't mean he was dishonest, right?

Shades thought about it a bit longer, then smileed slightly. He would tell her. He would tell Callie that day. "Yes."

Lapras nodded slowly. "Once you are ready, we will set off."

* * *

"I will wait here for you," Lapras said as Callie and Shades disembarked. "Remember to stay honest. Caldera Falls is an unforgiving place for the liars."

"Thanks, Lapras!" Callie said, taking a bag of supplies off of Lapras' back. "We'll remember! Shades, let's go!"

Shades shouldered his own bag and started off behind Callie. Her aura was spiking out, a sure sign that she was excited about the adventure. _And who wouldn't be?_ Shades mused as he walked along. _A mysterious cave on a mysterious mountain, and the only clue as to the location was a piece of paper._

Up ahead, a subtle glow emanated from an arched hole. This kind of aura was different than that which living things put off. It was more associated with heat than life. The Hot Spring had given off a glow like this, only weaker. As the two neared the arched hole, Shades felt a wave of blistering heat sweep over him. There was only one place he had felt heat like this.

"A volcano," he said. Callie stopped and looked back at him.

"Yeah. On the ride over, Lapras told me that it used to erupt all the time. Now it's just simmering, but there's still a lot of magma and lava around. In the future it'll probably erupt again." When Shades had caught up, Callie started walking again. "Will you be okay, Shades? I know heat messes up your aura."

Shades grimaced. Why did Callie have to be so perceptive at times? It was bad enough being blind. He didn't need his… best friend worrying about him, too. "I'll be fine. Let's do this."

Callie nodded and, together, they stepped into the volcano.

* * *

It was hot.

 _Actually_ , Shades thought, _let's rephrase that. It's bleeding_ hot. _Callie is really lucky that heat doesn't phase her._

Callie was doing quite well in the volcano. The temperature rose with each floor the two went up, and while Shades was sweating enough to make Lapras float, Callie hadn't even had to break out her water bottle. Shades couldn't help feeling jealous of Callie's carefree attitude in the face of such adversity.

 _Well… jealous and… never mind,_ Shades thought, shaking his head. Sweat flew off of his ears and muzzle and fell onto the ground with a sizzle.

"Doing well, Shades?" Callie asked.

Shades, even though he wasn't, grunted out a tiny affirmative. Then, remembering Lapras' warning, he said, "Not really."

Callie turned back to Shades, aura turning a tinge darker. "Let's take a break, then. Get some water, and I'll make a little snack."

With a groan, Shades stretched a paw out to find a wall. "Ooh, hot! Ow…" He ran his paw along the wall, trying to find a cooler portion. When he did, Shades leaned against the wall and slid to a sitting position. Trying to breathe deeply, he felt in his supply bag for a water bottle.

"Oran or chesto berries?" Callie asked as Shades finally found a bottle. He took a sip from the bottle, then shrugged. Callie pulled out both kinds of berries while Shades took another sip.

"Thanks," Shades murmured, taking a couple of berries from Callie. He drank a little more water and then took a bite of a chesto berry. The juice from the berry soothed his raw throat more than the water had, and Shades finally felt like he could talk more than only a few words at a time.

Callie dug into her snack with exuberance. Soon, she had finished her berries and started digging in her bag for something else. _Probably something sweet, like one of those honeyed hondew berries,_ Shades said to himself. _Don't know how she can stand those._

When Shades had finished his snack, Callie was taking a small nap. She had found a honeyed hondew berry and, true to her nature, eaten it in three bites. Then she leaned against the wall and promptly fell asleep, quickly sliding so that her head was resting on Shades' shoulder.

Instead of waking her up, Shades let her sleep. He knew, better than she did, that she hadn't been getting enough rest. Callie's aura had been a little ragged around the edges, something Shades had only seen once before. Some time before, after the terrible events with Darkrai and Palkia, Callie's sleep was plagued with nightmares of not belonging. Shades found himself acting rather unnaturally and sitting up with her, talking about the good things. Callie's nightmares stopped occurring after a while, but the whole thing had turned a light on for Shades.

Shades smileed, glancing at Callie. "You may seem to be happy and strong all the time, but you have moments where you need a shoulder." Callie didn't stir at his whisper. He looked up.

A wave of heat was approaching them.

"Callie!" Shades shouted, jumping to his footpaws. "We have to go, NOW!"

Callie hopped up, grabbed her bag, and raced off. Shades followed, finding himself worrying about whether or not she had hit her head on the rocky ground. It didn't seem like she had, but…

"Shades! It's gaining on you!" Callie yelled. "Hurry up! There's a little path up ahead!"

Shades put on a burst of speed, feeling the heat nipping at his toes. "Lead me, Callie! I can't see it!"

"Here!"

Shades almost ran into Callie as he turned into the small path. "Sorry about that."

"No problem. We have to keep running!"

Callie shot off and Shades followed. Evidently, if she had hit her head, it wasn't too bad.

A few moments later, Shades saw Callie's aura disappear. He kept running, but he frowned. "Callie?"

No answer.

"Callie!"

Still no answer, and the heat was gaining.

"CALLIE?!"

There was still no answer, but Shades encountered some stairs. With no other option, he climbed the stairs.

"Callie? Where are you?"

He reached the top of the stairs and, in the distance, heard a roar. Shades' blood turned to ice, despite the heat.

"Callie! There's something I need to say!" Shades began running again, and the wave of heat flowed up the stairs. He could hear sizzling and cracking now. Lava.

"Remember when you asked me if I was crying during the night? I was! I dreamed of you!"

The lava flowed even faster.

"I don't want to lose you again, Callie! When I left after Temporal Tower… it was terrible!"

The lava was closing in on Shades.

"I love you, Callie!"

Shades began running up a slope, and the lava stopping following him. At the top of the slope, Shades looked back. The glow of the lava hadn't gotten any closer, so it probably wasn't climbing the slope. Regardless, an urgency welled up in Shades' chest. He had no idea where Callie was.

Shades started running again.

* * *

Seven sets of stairs later, Shades had to stop. His chest was so tight that he could barely breathe, and there was a terrible stitch in his side. And he still hadn't found Callie.

Remembering something Grovyle had once taught him, Shades put his paws in the air and rested them on his head. His lungs rejoiced in having more room to expand, and he began to breathe more deeply. With more air, he was able to logically assess his situation.

"Okay… Callie is somewhere in this volcano," Shades said. His voice echoed back to him. "I'm on… the twelfth floor, I think. The cave we were looking for was on the fourteenth floor, as I recall. Hmm…"

Shades glanced around, trying to see something- anything- through aura. But there wasn't anything except the constant glow of atmospheric heat. He took a couple of steps forward, and then a couple more. After ten more steps, he saw a black spot on the glow.

"I'll head for that, I think," Shades murmured. He hitched the bag up on his shoulder and walked toward the hole, still thinking about what else to do. "I have to find Callie. I have to."

As he got nearer to the hole, Shades realized that the hole he was heading for was on the outside of the volcano. The glow around the hole was less pronounced than the glow around Shades.

Shades reached the hole and stumbled inside. It was cooler in the cave, and sleep claimed the Riolu.

* * *

"Callie? Callie! I'm so sorry!"

"What are you sorry about, Shades?"

"I lost you… wait, how are you talking to me? I thought you were fried by the lava."

"Shades, wake up. You're talking in your sleep."

"What?"

Shades opened his eyes, but it didn't do too much. He did become aware, however, of Callie standing next to him. Her aura was tinged with blue, and it was wavering. "Why are you worried, Callie?"

Callie looked away. "Well, I lost you. And I couldn't find you, and the lava was chasing me… And then I found you again and you were talking in your sleep."

"I was?" Shades asked, getting to his footpaws. "Well, I was dreaming, so I probably was talking about that. But you're here! You didn't get fried by the lava… I was afraid of-"

"Shades, I love you."

Shades' jaw dropped. "Uh…" He swallowed, opened his mouth, and said, "Uh…" He tried again. "Where did that come?"

Callie turned away from Shades. Her aura changed from blueish to pinkish. "We got separated, Shades. Remember what Lapras said? The mountain doesn't like dishonesty. I never told you how I feel, and I kept it hidden, and while it wasn't dishonesty as we would think, I guess the mountain didn't like it."

Understanding dawned in Shades' mind. He reached out and touched Callie's shoulder. "If that's the case, Callie, I'm to blame. I didn't tell _you_ how I feel. The truth is…" Shades sighed, and smirkd. "Callie, I've loved you for a very long time. I just couldn't say it. I didn't want to be… rejected, or seem like I was weak, or anything. I couldn't bear to have you think less of me if you didn't return my feelings."

"I never would have thought less of you, Shades!" Callie exclaimed, turning back to face Shades. "You're the strongest Pokemon I know! I wish I had a _fraction_ of your strength!"

Shades shook his head. "No, Callie. You're the strongest."

Callie's aura grew red. Shades shrank back, but the red dissipated. "You may think that, Shades… but it's not true." Callie looked around. "Do you know where we are?"

It was obviously an attempt to change the subject, but Shades didn't mind. "No idea. Do you?"

"I think it might be Archeops' cave…" Callie trailed off, wandering through the cave. She stopped and bent over. "Hey, Shades! There's some carvings here! Let's see…" Shades made his way over to her but he ran into something solid.

"Ow… What did I run into?"

"A table. Ooh, is that Archeops' table? Here, I'll help you." Callie made her way over to Shades and helped him around the table. "The carvings only said, 'Welcome, honest travelers.' Then there was an arrow pointing deeper into the cave."

Shades frowned slightly. Ideas began running through his mind. "Deeper in the cave?"

"Yeah," Callie affirmed, sounding a little worried. "What are you thinking?"

"I think we ought to follow the arrow," Shades said. "Shall we?"

Together, the two walked farther into the cave, following the arrow. Every now and then, Callie would find another arrow pointing down a newly-revealed passageway, and Shades would trust her to point his footpaws in the right direction.

After about ten minutes of following the arrows, Shades and Callie reached the back of the cave. It ended in a flat wall. Shades ran a paw across the surface of the wall.

"Is this obsidian?" Shades asked.

Callie looked at the wall. "I think so… It reflects light on its surface and deep within it. It's beautiful, Shades." The Riolu smirked as Callie continued looking at the wall. "And there's something written here… 'For one who sees aura.'"

"Show me where it is, Callie," Shades said. "Please."

She took his paw and guided it to where the words were carved. Shades traced each letter with his paw. "Callie, I think this message is for me."

Callie backed down the passageway a ways. "Then I'll let you read it yourself."

"Thank you…" Shades moved his paw until he found the word 'aura.' There was a small arrow carved next to it. He followed the arrow with his paw and came to the message.

 _My friend and compatriot, welcome._

 _I am Archeops. You do not remember me, but I remember you. You are Shades, the human with whom Grovyle worked in order to stop the paralysis of our world. I understand that you will want to know everything, but here is not the place for explanations. You can find an account of our visit in the leftmost tunnel, behind a red rock with two music notes on it._

 _If you are here, it means that you have traveled much. It also means you are still honest. As this is the case, I give you a gift._

 _Your partner._

 _You may not understand this right now, but all will become clear. I have seen your partner, and she holds the key to the gift I give._

 _Fare well, Shades._

Shades stepped back from the wall, stunned. _What did Archeops mean?_ he thought to himself. _What key does Callie hold? And what does he mean that Callie is the gift?_

He began to make his way back up the passageway, using his view of Callie's aura to guide him. She hurried to him and helped him along, and soon they were back in the main cave again. Shades sat down against a wall and rubbed his paws together. It was a little cold, he realized.

"Are you hungry, Shades?" Callie asked, pulling some food out of her supply bag. "We have berries, some bread, and a couple of honeyed cheri berries."

"I'm a little hungry," Shades admitted, accepting the berries and bread Callie handed him. "Thanks, Callie."

"Sure!" Callie began eating, and Shades followed suit. Then, with her mouth full, Callie asked, "Can you tell me anything about the message?"

Shades swallowed his mouthful of food. "Well, apparently I knew Archeops once. Grovyle and I visited him for some reason."

Callie's aura grew yellower. "That's awesome!" she exclaimed. "I wonder what you came for."

"I wonder that, too," Shades said. He paused for a moment, then continued. "He also gave me a gift. I don't know what he meant, though."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find out eventually," Callie replied. She got to her feet and slung her supply bag over her shoulder. "Are you ready to keep going?"

"Yeah. Let's go down the leftmost passageway."

As Shades clambered to his footpaws, Callie took a step. But her step placed her on a sloped piece of rock. She tripped, squawking in terror while her bag split open and scattered supplies everywhere.

"Callie!" Shades shouted, gingerly stepping toward where she was sprawled on the floor. "Are you okay?"

"Owowow…" Callie whispered. "I think I hurt my foot. Watch where you step, or it might happen to you."

"I'll watch myself," Shades said, and bent down to pick up something that glowed. He grabbed it. "Hey, Callie? Did you keep the piece of the Rainbow Stoneship?"

"Yeah. I didn't know if we'd need it again."

"I wonder what Grovyle would say," Shades mused. A wave of nausea gripped his head. "Oooh..." He felt around for a wall and, luckily, the table was right next to him. Callie's aura turned upside down, and the glow from the Rainbow Stoneship fragment turned a brilliant white.

The world _blurred into an orange beach. The sunset was beautiful. Krabby were letting bubbles fly, and Shades was lying on the sand. "Hey, are you okay?"_

 _The speaker was a mass of fog. But the voice seemed familiar. It was Callie's voice._

 _"Are you okay? Oh, whew! I thought you were going to sleep for another day!"_

 _The scene blurred, then turned to a granite cliff face with blue water crashing down over it. Shades stood on an outcropping of yellow stone, with the mass of fog next to him. It was slightly less foggy, though._

 _"Jump through the waterfall? Are you crazy?" Callie asked_ _incredulously._

 _"Nope. Only insane," Shades replied._

 _"All right. I'll believe you," Callie said as the scene blurred again until it became the future._

 _Grovyle, a mass of fog, and Shades were bound to a set of pillars. Some Sableye were getting ready to attack. "When I tell you, attack," Grovyle muttered._

 _"We're ready," Callie whispered, and the scene blurred again and became the path outside of Temporal Tower._

 _"What?! You have to leave?!" Callie asked. The mass of fog was looking at Shades as light started coming out of him._

 _"Yes… Since I'm from the future, and the future has changed… I change…" Shades said quietly. "I'm glad I got to… be your friend… Callie."_

 _"SHADES!"_

 _The fog dissipated and_ Shades caught his breath. Callie was…

 _"_ _Shades?"_

 _"I'm back, Callie."_

 _"Oh, I'm so happy!"_

Callie was…

 _"_ _You have the piece of the Rainbow Stoneship?"_

Callie was… beyond words.

 _"_ _Shades?_ Shades? Is it a Dimensional Scream?"

Shades stood upright, then held out a paw. Callie took it, and was surprised when Shades pulled her up with confidence. She was even more surprised when he gave her a hug.

"What?"

"Callie, you had the key to the gift!"

Callie eyed Shades with some concern. "What are you talking about, Shades?"

Shades smiled. "And you're amazing, Callie. I want you to know that."

"What is going on here?" Callie asked. "You touched the Rainbow Stoneship fragment and suddenly you're acting like you… know what… I look like?"

"Yeah."

"Wow… So, now you know what I look like?"

Shades kissed Callie on the cheek, with no hesitation in his movement. "Does that answer your question?"

Callie laughed and swatted Shades' arm. "So… are my feathers in place?"

* * *

Oh, and they found the account about Archeops and Shades and Grovyle, in case you were wondering.

A/N: This is based off of my sister's previous Explorers of Sky team, a blind Riolu named Shades and a Torchic named Callie. And I'm proud to say that I thought of the title _without_ thinking of the song by Zedd! I'm so grateful for the divine help I received in writing this. Take care, all!


End file.
